Cops and rescue teams are frantically scouring the area for clues after Jay Slater, 19, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, vanished without a trace in Tenerife last Monday.
The search for the missing lad has intensified with police, sniffer dogs, and firefighters all pitching in to comb through the treacherous Rural de Teno Park in the northwest of the island, notorious for its perilous rocky landscape and extreme weather conditions.
Efforts to find Jay, who went missing after trying to trek back to his accommodation in the south of the island when he missed his bus, have seen helicopters, rescue dogs, and drones deployed.
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The teen was last spotted in Masca village, having spent the night at an Airbnb booked after he hit up an NRG music festival. Ofelia Medina Hernandez, the owner of the Airbnb, reported seeing Jay take off up the road but never saw him again, labelling the situation as “worrying”.
(Image: Instagram)
As the hunt intensifies, officers have been spotted hauling away trash near a farm close to Jay’s last known location. On Friday, dogs were brought in to sniff around the farm buildings, while searches also took place by the Airbnb where Jay stayed, reports the Mirror.
A riverbed named Barranco Madre del Agua, nestled at the bottom of a gorge, became a focal point as searchers prodded through heaps of dead palm leaves with sticks.
Jonathan Stones, who moved to Tenerife at the age of 13, has reportedly described the Teno Nature Reserve as treacherous and locally known as ‘bad land’.
Speaking to The Sun, he said: “Where Jay was last located through his mobile phone is where he stands the least chance of survival. The desolate landscapes around the island’s holiday hotspots are referred to as ‘malpais’ by locals – a word that translates into English as ‘bad land’.”
(Image: PA)
He detailed the extreme temperature fluctuations, noting how it can switch from cold to blistering heat by 11am. “With no shade in sight, no water to hand and a deep ravine, the sun becomes an even more fierce adversary,” Jonathan added.
“And the shadowy respite offered by the hilltops is short-lived. The sun moves around the mountain sides quickly and anyone sheltering behind a craggy outcrop is soon flushed from their hide in search of the next one. I hope desperately that it’s a riddle solved in time for Jay to be reunited safely with his family.”
Trip Advisor also features warnings from visitors about the perilous conditions in the Teno Nature Reserve. One review, titled ‘dangerous’, warns: “The road is very dangerous, the track goes below cliffs and is very narrow, there is a sign saying that you are entering into a danger zone and if you continue it is your own responsibility. I think for this reason there are not many people here. Complete nature … wind, waves, sun, mountains and a small lighthouse, incredible.”
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